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Wednesday, December 28, 2016

I wish you a Merry Christmas 2016! We are still within the Octave of Christmas, and even after that, we have much, much, much of the Christmas season left to celebrate, according to the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church! Is it the same in the Russian Orthodox Church liturgical calendar? And the Greek Orthodox? Inquiring minds want to know! Well, p'raps Wikipedia can shed some light on the answers for me!

Santa Claus brought me a fancy Kindle Fire HD 10 for my birthday (just turned 52 in November) and Christmas. While it is not the calibre of tablet that my mom's super, ultra fancy iPad Pro is as far as camera capability, it is good enough for me, as I still believe in (1) using real cameras, (2) taking pictures of things/people/cats/dogs/Christmas decorations other than myself (!!!). I am still learning how to use the camera facing me. It's been quite awhile since I've posted a photo of myself, as I am not a member of the Selfie Religion >^..^< - catty remark! The below photo is the best I can do for now. I'm not likely to try again for awhile.

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I just finished watching Mikhail Baryshnikov in the 1977 version of The Nutcracker, on YouTube. I loved it all over again. The more recent versions of The Nutcracker which I've seen performed have left me cold. Baryshnikov is my favorite dancer ever. The full video is at https://youtu.be/0qScYCR5y5k . The ballerina dancing Clara's part is Gelsey Kirkland. Enjoy! It's a beautiful production - gorgeous!

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I realize that Christmas Tide is a difficult and heart breaking season for many people. Please know that you are in my special prayers for Christmas joy, and gladness. It is so hard to be sad at Christmas time. I've been there. In fact, I still go there sometimes. You children of divorce and you divorced people/single parents know what I mean especially, as do the widows and widowers, and the parents of children who died young. I'm so very sorry. Jesus bless you and caress you with His tender love and compassion.

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Am lining up some St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta quotations for the Saintly Quotations blog (www.saintlyquotations.com ) but hope to share some here soon. The Feast of the Holy Family is on Friday before New Year's. There are some really pertinent quotes for that feast.